In a significant development for students across Pakistan, the Inter-Board Committee of Chairmen (IBCC) has officially approved policy changes allowing Matric Arts students to seek admission in science streams at the Intermediate level. Under the updated rules, students who passed Matric with Humanities subjects can now enroll in FSc Pre-Medical, FSc Pre-Engineering, ICS, and other science-based groups.
This decision marks one of the most transformative shifts in Pakistan’s education system, removing long-standing restrictions that previously prevented Arts students from transitioning to science streams after Matric.
Arts Students Now Eligible for Inter Science Group Admissions
According to IBCC officials, all public and private colleges operating under Pakistan’s education boards are now authorized to admit Arts-group students into science programs, provided the institutions offer seats in the selected discipline. Once a student is admitted, the respective board will be responsible for conducting their examinations, eliminating previous conflicts between college admissions and board rules.
Equivalence Granted to O/A Level Science Students
The IBCC also announced that students who completed O and A Levels with at least two science subjects will now receive the Science Group equivalence certificate, aligning them with local Matric Science graduates. This resolves long-standing issues faced by British-system students who were often placed in the Humanities group due to equivalency limitations.
Policy to Be Implemented Across All Boards
Education officials confirmed that the revised admission policy will be implemented uniformly across all boards, including Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Multan, Federal Board, BISE Peshawar, and other regional boards.
Notably, the Lahore Board had already been allowing Matric Arts students to shift to science streams, and the new IBCC decision now standardizes this practice nationwide.
Education analysts consider this a major step toward creating a more flexible and inclusive academic structure in Pakistan. With this reform:
- Arts students can now pursue careers in medicine, engineering, nursing, computer science, IT, and allied health sciences by choosing science subjects at the Intermediate level.
- O/A Level students no longer face equivalence barriers when applying to FSc or ICS.
- Colleges are required to support students’ choices rather than restrict them based on previous subject combinations.
The announcement has been widely welcomed by parents, students, and educators, who believe the reform opens thousands of new academic and career pathways.
